“We’ve always tried to help artists find situations to make their work, where it can retain that quality of unknowableness.” —Andrea Zittel

Today’s ART21 Exclusive features High Desert Test Sites, a non-profit organization co-founded by Andrea Zittel that supports immersive experiences and exchanges between artists, critical thinkers, and general audiences. In late-2014, High Desert Test Sites (HDTS), known for hosting events in far-flung corners of the American southwest, programmed a day of talks and installations at the site of a former health resort in Zzyzx, California. Aurora Tang, managing director of HDTS and curator for the event, selected Zzyzx because it provokes a sense of discovery and exploration. “It’s all about water,” adds Zittel, “in the sense that being in the desert is only possible because of water.” In addition to off-site programming, HDTS owns over 100 acres of land near Joshua Tree, California where they allow artists to insert their work directly into the desert landscape.

ART21 Exclusive is supported, in part, by 21c Museum Hotel, and by individual contributors.

As a producer and director, Ian Forster creates documentary content for Art21’s various digital and broadcast programs. Since joining the organization in 2009, he has worked on four seasons of Art in the Twenty-First Century and the Peabody Award-winning film William Kentridge: Anything Is Possible. Additionally, he has overseen the digital series Extended Play since 2012, producing over 100 short artist portraits. Forster created the online video series Artist to Artist in 2013, which has since featured artists in conversation with their peers at international biennials in Italy, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States.